Back with another two problems with the wife's 98 Protege... I think it's about time to replace it, but AT ANY RATE....

1) Replaced the tires on her car not too long ago, and noticed tha the driver's side front tire is wearing more than the others... Haven't gotten around to rotating yet... At any rate, it prompted me to raise the car up and have a look... This is what I found:



I pulled out my Chilton manual, and from the looks of it, it's a "stabilzer bar endlink"... It's a knuckle-type joint - do I just smack it back into place? I just wasn't sure if there were any associated bearings/bushings/etc (can't tell from the manual) that need to be included in the assembly.

2) The alternator belt is chewed to sh*t. Need to replace that. Found instructions on how to do it - sounds fairly easy... Question here - is there anything I need to be careful with or watch out for when I re-tighten the tensioning bolt for the alt?

Cheers

 

Bump + vent about seized nut... Can get the alternator belt off but not the power steering belt in front of it!

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